Mitsubishi’s back! Back to Pikes Peak that is, as the maker plans to contest the 2014 iteration of the annual hill-climb event. Last year, the Japanese automaker brought along the rather unfortunate-looking i-MIEV electric race car, which hid its impressive hardware beneath a strange body inspired by the i-MIEV city car. This year, Mitsubishi has updated the car’s bodywork, as well as gifted it more power and a new name: i-MIEV Evolution III.
Chopping the i-MIEV race car’s roof and exposing the roll cage was an excellent move. The machine now looks like it belongs on the Pikes Peak course, and not nearby standing in for a Little Tykes Cozy Coupe. The tube-frame chassis has been redesigned to be lighter, and the aesthetics of the new front end were shaped by sessions in a wind tunnel. Not only does this EV produce more downforce than before, but it looks about 10 times more bad-ass.
- 2012 Mitsubishi i-MIEV Tested: Weird Science, Rolling
- 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage ES Tested: Sad Trombone . . .
- Mitsubishi i-MIEV Research: Full Pricing, Specs, Reviews, and More
More power has been squeezed from the Evolution III’s quartet of electric motors—one per wheel—for a boost of 67 horsepower to 603 (!). Two cars will run up the mountain this year, piloted by last year’s driving team of Hiroshi Masuoka and Greg Tracy.
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